New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-30
EREE-TRADE PLATFORM

Mr.. ClcvelanuS Irlenu anu oiVsAoPn"i, 80
kindly labelled Mr.. Morrison's Tariff bill iirst
firm step toward free trade" so that nobody
should mistake its nature, deserves credit for
making the New-York Democratic platform on
the tariff unusually explicit and clear. Men
NAV differ about the effect Of the reduction Oh
duty proposed there is one possible ambiguity
ns to the removal of duties on sugars but In
the main the plan proposed excludes mistakes
as to its nature. The Administration platform
has the merit Of open and frank hostility 10
tho protection Of homo industry.
This platform demands that the revenue
abe straightway reduced by sum not less than
500 OOO 900 year,; that the duties ito be
first reduced or altogether removed arc those
on imported raw materials; that other duties
"should be forthwith RENTED or reduced
which increase the cost of the common neces-
saries of life"; and that "several hundred
articles should be added to the free list. on
tho ground that the duties on them are effective
for protection and therefore yield little or no
revenue. That is tho free-tnde plan, and 1t Is
good to know that it is the Administration plan
Free wool, free iron ore and pig iron, free
salt, coal, lumber, flax and hemp, stone and
copper, and an addition OF several hundred
articles to the free list, is plan which tho
voters of this State can understand. The wool
growers, iron and coal miners, salt and lumber
producers can determine for themselves whether
they approve it, The multitudes of working
men engaged in industries Of which these pro-
duccrs furnish the materials, can also decide
for themselves whether their industries should
be made dependent upon foreign markets for
supplies. But this change would not take from
the revenue as much as S20,O00,000; the
revenue from wool duties Is but S5,OOO,OOO,
from lumber 81 100000, from salt 100000.
from marble and stone 100000, from iron
ore S5OO,0O0 from pig and scrap iron $1,000
600, from coal 5000, 900. from manufactured
copper 100000, and from flax, hemp and
their substitutes 81 ,OOO.O With most lib
eral allowance for chemicals and other articles
which might be called raw materials there
would still be $SO,O0O,OOO to be taken
straightway' from the revenue, after abolish
ing all these duties on materials. To this
end duties ON common necessaries OF liie'
and clothing are to be reduced. The ono i'm
poitant ambiguity Of the platform here appears
sugar may be considered necessary OF life,
and the duties Oh that article yield SsO.ooo,OOO
70 those dufics arc To DC abolished, suii moro
than $4,000, 900 must be taken and II these
dre not to be abolished more than SSO,OOO'OOO
must be taken from the duties on manufactured
products which now yield about S1OO,OOO'OOO.
In either case the reduction would be sliili-
ccnt to destroy the protective character OF tho
tariff For in order TO reduce revenue $4,000
600. duties which now yield Sl0o,0O0,OOO must
be cut down much more than 80 per cent, since
that OF any smaller reduction would only yield
an increased revenue through enormous ex-
pansion of imports. But reduction, OF 80
,,er cent or more in the duties on manufactured
articles would in effect render the tariff worth
less for the defence OF home industry. That
is precisely the aim and intent Of those who
have framed this platform, and it is the aim
of Speaker Carlisle, Mr.. Morrison and their
irce-tradc associates, who number about four
ffths of the Democratic Representatives in
Congress. The Administration platform is
therefore so distinct that the workingmen OF
New-York cannot be deceived about it.